IMPACT REPORT 2023
SHIELD RANCH FOUNDATION AT A GLANCE
Shield Ranch Barton Creek is a 6,400-acre protected wildland comprising 10% of the Barton Creek watershed. It is in a rapidly growing region just 18 miles from downtown Austin. The Shield Ranch Foundation was established in 2008 with the mission to steward and share the Ranch in ways that educate, inspire, and transform. In fall 2022, the Campsite at Shield Ranch opened to provide award-winning facilities for Camp El Ranchito, a scholarship-based overnight camp; host community groups for both day and overnight use and offer immersive nature programs for all ages. The foundation stewards 131 acres, which are sustainably managed for the benefit of people and nature.
Dear friends,
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Campsite at Shield Ranch embodies years of planning by the Shield-Ayres-Bowen family, dedicated staff, a team of designers, long-time campers, and community partners. Since opening to the community, thoughtfulness has flowered from ideas to impact. There are many firsts to highlight among these new seasons: welcoming community, connecting with the natural world, and modeling conservation. I am grateful to all who contributed to our growth and celebrate these collective successes in our first impact report.
Since the initial opening in fall 2022, we welcomed almost 50 community groups for retreats, programming, and environmental education. More than half of those groups accessed nonprofit rates made possible thanks to community generosity. With a strong desire to get outside and connect, approximately 2,000 people of all ages were inspired, educated, and transformed by their experiences at the Campsite at Shield Ranch.
Camp El Ranchito expanded year-round programming at its new Campsite home for 190 participants, with the first Outdoor Girl Spring Break Camp, added summer camp sessions, and a Fall Reconnect family gathering. The protected wildlands and creeks constantly provided discoveries, while the thoughtfully designed facilities offered relief from challenging weather in the way of shade, shelter, and prevailing breezes. Our new Campsite Education Director stepped into leadership supported by a seasonal staff, half of whom were former campers. New seasonal events integrating nature, creativity, and wellness increased access for individuals of all ages.
Designed as a learning model, the sustainable Campsite operations put conservation goals into action. All guests learned about the all-rainwater, all-solar facilities, and El Ranchito campers exceeded water conservation models during their summer use. Twenty-eight groups toured the Campsite facilities, and the designers and builders earned award recognition for these innovations in sustainable design.
Community support helped us grow our capacity to serve our mission. With the generosity of 182 donors, we completed the $14.3 million Abiding Campaign for the Campsite at Shield Ranch in summer 2023. Sustaining support from the new Wild for Good Circle helps provide El Ranchito scholarships, nonprofit subsidized Campsite rates, and preserve and increase access to Shield Ranch. Volunteers grew our capacity to welcome community thanks to their participation in the new kitchen, conservation projects, and camp opportunities.
The future of the Shield Ranch Foundation is bright as we continue to grow our audience and impacts, reduce barriers to participation, and help people reconnect with themselves, nature, and each other in natural spaces. We hope you’ll join us.
Andrea Mellard
Executive Director, Shield Ranch Foundation
In 2023, the Campsite welcomed:
1,754
36
21
675 people including nonprofit groups gained access through our Wild for Good pricing tours community groups (including nonprofits, businesses, schools, and churches) youth
24
Campsite Sustainable Systems
In 2023, 48,286 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy were produced. On average, this amount of solar energy could power: or
4.5
14.3 electric cars homes per year
Rainwater Collection and Usage
60k
6.43
15.7
12
120k end-of-year storage level total capture for 2023 gallons gallons gallons gallons gallons gallons average day-use guest usage per day average camper usage per day compared with the average water usage in Texas per person per day average overnight guest usage per 24 hours
90
YOUR IMPACT
YOUR IMPACT
Camp El Ranchito
86% 57% 22 121
30
310
91
144 Conservation Corps (CC) teens each spent Nature Discovery Campers (NDC) each spent hours outdoors hours outdoors
Camp Gear Gifted
40
121 of campers were eligible for scholarships increase in summer campers from 2022 New Outdoor Girl Spring Break Campers Summer Campers (grades 4-12) pairs of hiking boots NDC camper backpacks and water bottles flashlights, whistles, compasses, bandanas, and journals swim shirts and swim shoes
91
143
2022-2023 HIGHLIGHTS
The Campsite at Shield Ranch celebrates its grand opening September 24, 2022.
The first El Ranchito Outdoor Girl Spring Break Camp begins in March 2023.
An overnight Creative Nature Retreat in Oct. 2023, led by creative coach Natalie Davis with singer/songwriter Jillette Johnson, and Shield Ranch Foundation program director Justine Kies, offers participants a connection to creative self, community, and inspiration from nature.
Camp El Ranchito hosts its first summer camps at the new facilities during 2023.
2022-2023 HIGHLIGHTS
Sold out Evergreen Winter Warm-up event offers 100+ guests a botanical-inspired celebration of seasonal flavors, crafts, music, and activities in December 2023.
Mighty Coconut, an Austin-based entertainment studio specializing in virtual reality games, was one of the almost 50 community groups that chose to gather at the Campsite. By selecting the Campsite for your next corporate retreat or team building, you help provide Wild for Good pricing for non-profit organizations.
2023 Fall Reconnect offered El Ranchito campers and their families an opportunity to explore the Campsite and reconnect with fellow campers.
AWARD RECOGNITIONS
2022 Sustainable SITES Initiative Gold Certified
2022 Austin Green Awards
2022 Austin AGC Outstanding Construction Award
2023 Quiet Conservation Area Award
2023 Graphis Silver Design Award
2023 ULI Impact Awards Projects finalist in the categories of Design and Innovation
2023 Best of Design Award for CommercialHospitality, The Architect’s Newspaper
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
GUIDING OUR WORK
Steward sustainable operations and land management
Welcome increased public access, especially for groups facing barriers
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
GUIDING OUR WORK
Connect people with nature and community
Protect a wild space near a rapidly growing urban area
We are grateful for community support in launching our first year of operations in the innovative new Campsite at Shield Ranch.
FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT
Individual donors 68% Grants 26.5% Earned revenue 4% Other 1.5% Revenue Expenses Program 67.2% Administrative 22.4% Fundraising 10.4%
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
• Join our Wild for Good Circle supporters’ group with a monthly or annual gift.
• Donate to support outdoor programming for El Ranchito campers and Campsite community groups who otherwise may not have access.
• Celebrate by commemorating a birthday or special occasion by inviting friends and family to give to the Shield Ranch Foundation.
• Volunteer in the Campsite kitchen with Chef Addie, serve on a conservation project or help with camp preparation.
• Connect by following us on social media or signing up for our e-newsletter.
• Partner or sponsor a foundation event.
• Host your next corporate or nonprofit meeting or retreat at the Campsite.
• Leave a legacy with planned giving.
THANK YOU 2023 SUPPORTERS
Malú Alvarez
Natalie Amoroso
Andersson/Wise Architects
Applied Materials Foundation
Associated General Contractors
Austin Chapter
Margaret & Robert Ayres
Patricia Shield Ayres
Susan Benz
Michelle Bryant
Dan Bullock & Annette Carlozzi
Elizabeth Cangemi
Elizabeth Chiles
Yoobin Choi
George & Mary Elizabeth Cofer
Larry & Fran Collmann
Jim Coupal
Joel & Trudy Cunningham
Lisa Dirks
ECG Foundation
Fayruz Benyousef Consulting
Georgia B. Lucas Grant Fund
Dale & Nancy Grimes
The Haggerty Family Foundation
Hale Family Fund
Kathie & Dick Hanson
The Harry E. and Eda L. Montandon Charitable Trust
H-E-B Tournament of Champions Charitable Trust
Clarke & Catherine Heidrick
Jane Hervey
Sam Householder & Molly Stevens
Lindsay Hutchens
Ivey Kaiser
Jody Karr
Randy & Julie Kies
James & Leighton Krips
Kathleen Loughlin
Gene & Linda Lowenthal
Neal Lulofs
John Mackey & Deborah Morin
Lucas & Christina Martell
Mattsson Ranch
Ann McNair
Laura Mcquary
Andrea & Jason Mellard
Mary & Jason Mendiola
THANK YOU 2023 SUPPORTERS
Palmer Moe
David & Anne Morley
Jack & Jill Nokes
Duncan & Elizabeth Osborne
Philip Overbaugh
Nell Penridge
Cindy Raab
Gail Reid
Meredith Reid
Martha Rhodes
John & Virginia Rogan
David & Deborah Butt Rogers
Alex & Ginny Rouch
Dan & Caroline Schaefer
Pete & Frances Schenkkan
Stephen & Jennifer Shang
Catherine Siever
Cristina Silingardi
Ernest & Paula Smith
Snead Family Foundation
Spicewood Ranch/Chris Harte
Maggie & Buddy Steele
Sandy Stone
MJ Strickland
Susan Vaughan Foundation
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
David & Wendy Todd
Paul & Jennifer Vickery
Robby & Debbie Vickery
Elizabeth & Cliff Waller
Jennifer Vickers & E. Lee Walker
Bob & Jean Warneke
Thressa Webb
Webber Family Foundation
Whole Earth Provision Company
Peggy & Matt Winkler & Family
Greg Wooldridge & Lynne Dobson
Roberta Wright
Barbara Yoder
El Ranchito Wild for Good Circle Unrestricted
Foundation Grant
Legend
THANK YOU CAMPAIGN SUPPORTERS
Abiding Comprehensive Campaign for the Campsite at Shield Ranch 2019-2023
Thanks to an additional one hundred and thirty generous donors who each gave up to $2,499.
TRANSFORM
$1M- $5M
Patricia Shield Ayres in Memory of Vera & Fred Shield and Robert M. Ayres, Jr.
Howard E. Butt, Jr. Family
Shield-Ayres Foundation
INSPIRE
$500,000-$999,999
Still Water Foundation
THANK YOU CAMPAIGN SUPPORTERS
EXPLORE
$100,000-$499,999
Laura & Scott F. Anderson
Arcadia Charitable Trust
Margaret & Robert Ayres
Vera Ayres Bowen
The Burdine Johnson Foundation
In Memory of Nancy & Charles E. Cheever, Jr.
Fondren Family Foundation
The Harry E. & Eda L. Montandon
Charitable Trust
Jordan Family Foundation
STEWARD
$50,000-$99,999
Jacob & Terese Hershey Foundation
Tory & Karen Meyer
Pat & Tom Frost Foundation with the Frost Bank Charitable Foundation
Pinnergy
Powell Foundation
Louis H. & Mary Patricia Stumberg Foundation
Nelson Puett Foundation
Lisa & Desi Rhoden
David & Deborah Butt Rogers
Susan Vaughan Foundation
Judy & Tom Taylor in Memory of Carla Marshall
Tejemos Foundation
Tres Grace Family Foundation
Winn Family Foundation
Sharoll & Bryan Sheffield
Eric & Keri Stumberg in Honor of Mary Patricia Stumberg
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Elizabeth & Cliff Waller
THANK YOU CAMPAIGN SUPPORTERS
NURTURE
$10,000-$49,999
Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation
Alvarez Family
Anonymous
Applied Materials Foundation
The Benyousef & Ben-Musa Family/FBC
Big State Electric, LTD.
The Family of Ginger & Michael Blair
Broadway Bank
Butler
Butler Snow Foundation
Dalgleish Construction
Chema Domenech & Elizabeth Ayres Domenech
Drenner Group
Georgia B. Lucas Grant Fund
The Greiner Family
Kathie & Dick Hanson
Spicewood Ranch, Chris & Will Harte
H-E-B Tournament of Champions
Charitable Trust
Hill & Wilkinson
Lola Wright Foundation
L-X Ranch Foundation
The Malcolm C. Damuth Foundation
The McLean Family
Mesquite Commercial, LLC
Bill & Camille Miller in Honor of Pat Ayres
Blake & April Murden
Personal Administrators
Lana & Robert Potts
The Prentice Foundation
Rosie Scoular
Henley Sims & David Honeycutt
Paula & Ernest Smith in Honor of Carter Smith
Terri & Tim Van Ackeren
Warren Skaaren Charitable Trust
Webber Family Foundation
Ted & Melba Whatley
Dee Dee & Gregg Wilson
Peggy & Matt Winkler & Family
THANK YOU CAMPAIGN SUPPORTERS
BRIDGE
$2,500-$9,999
Andersson/Wise Architects
Anonymous
Anne Schweppe Ashmun in Memory of Laura Randall Schweppe & Henry Irving Schweppe, Jr.
Asterisk
Bowen & Pedernales Austin
Kathleen Ayres
Marian Bell in Memory of Nancy Bell McAllister
Susan Benz
Madison & Marshall Bowen
Margaret & Gentry Bowen
Anne Brockenbrough
Mary E. Candee & Jeffrey R. Weigel
Michael Chesser
Fran & Larry Collmann
ECG Foundation
James & Ashlee Elledge in Memory of Nancy McAllister
Lucy & Bill Farland
Simone Talma Flowers
Betty & Pete Golde
Nancy & Dale Grimes in Memory of Robert M. Ayres, Jr.
Lacy H. Hunt
Jackson & McElhaney Architects
Julie & Randy Kies
The Langmore Family
Shannon & Terry McDaniel
Andrea & Jason Mellard
Palmer Moe
Shannon Murphy & Leslie Sachanowicz
MariBen Ramsey & Karen Kahan
John & Virginia Rogan
Nancy Scanlan
Dan & Caroline Schaefer
Stacy & Carter Smith
Maggie & Buddy Steele
Molly Stevens & Sam Householder
Ten Eyck Landscape Architects
Travis Audubon
Debra & Robby Vickery
Jill & Sim Whatley Charity Trust
SHIELDRANCH.COM
Contributing
Cover photo: Sandy Carson photography: Sandy Carson Brian Fitzsimmons Leonid Furmansky Jonathan Vail